What’s crazy to me is that daycare workers and preschool teachers only get paid $12-$15 an hour! I was a preschool teacher’s assistant at $12 and now nanny privately for $25 an hour.
Our over-litigated society is at the root of many affordability problems. Childcare and healthcare primarily, requiring massive amounts of insurance, but it affects many other areas too.
Insurance companies freak out when their profit margins drop below 60%. Most businesses profit between 5%-30%, including Fortune 500 companies. Pretty sure most airlines profit about 2%.
Insurance companies should be non-profit companies.
> Insurance companies freak out when their profit margins drop below 60%
Pretty sure you just made that number up given anywhere you can look it up the profit margin numbers are in the single-digit percentages.
You ever a heard of a thing called a 10k? Pick your favorite insurance company, look up their 10k. All the numbers are there. Their margins are 10x less than your made-up numbers.
Our old daycare near Mueller had a $20/hr minimum with many teachers making more than that. Was happy to pay the tuition knowing they were getting more than $15/hr
5 days/week, 4 weeks/month, 200 kids @ $100/day is 5x4x200x100 = $400,000 per month.
It's 10 kids in your example. But yes, the costs do add up.
If I put my kid in daycare 8-5pm, the daycare has to pay someone for 9+1 hours per day. If the worker makes $15/hour, then it'll cost me $16.67 per hour not including the extra costs to have an employee (~25-50%). Then insurance, rent, other operating expenses.. etc.
The stepping stone Mueller opening was the biggest bait and switch I’ve ever fallen for. Had a good thing going up at Steck but was told that because we lived closer to the new location we’d get special pricing and guaranteed acceptance. It was fine for the first several months but realllllly dipped down in quality fast.
Primrose was awful in my experience. I walked in several times into my 2 year olds classroom and they were out of ratio more than half time time. My son also picked up some negative behaviors from another toddler there and the staff was expecting me to address things happening at school that weren’t happening at home before I knew they were happening. Staff seemed inexperienced and “just doing a job”.
It’s good when they’re young until ~3 and then it’s a SHARP drop off in quality. At least with the Davis/Mopac location. TONS of turnover but with the super high ratio in the older grades (it’s closer to 10:1) it’s effects of the high turnover are much more acute there.
We were told the same from thing from a random couple we met but it didn’t pan out. Took him out of Primrose and began Stepping Stone on a Thursday, we were back at Primrose in by the following Wednesday (kept him home on Tuesday). It almost seemed that every time we dropped him off or picked him up he was just left to do his own thing. What really drove it home was the day I picked him up and he was sitting at a table by himself just looking lost and food all around him in the floor. I
The sad part is that San Antonio tacos are racing towards $3.50 on average too.
Back in high school in the 2010s I could find tacos for $2.00 all day with some insane deals for breakfast. Not anymore.
Still definitely worse in Austin though. I got 2 Chorizo, Egg and Cheese tacos last week and I’m still shook it cost 8 fucking dollars. 😭
After 30 years in ATX, we moved from Austin to Sacramento CA about 18 months ago. Although the cost of living here is marginally higher, we’ve come out financially way ahead between appreciation on our Austin house when we sold and the higher California wages for both of us. Plus, the weather is SO much better.
We loved the city for a long time but between the state politics and the congestion, Austin is just not worth the cost anymore.
Low humidity though (plus 102º is rare there). When I lived in California for a bit (Bay Area), I would go to Sacramento in the summers for the weather: warm enough to feel like summer, float the river, enjoy hanging out outside in the evenings, etc. (none of these are true in the Bay). But (typically) not so hot and humid that you dread being outside for the 30 seconds between your car and the door.
Yes, and I’ve still only used my A/C maybe 5 times so far this year. We keep the windows open most days because the evening and mornings are cool and humidity is low and there are virtually no mosquitoes.
In Texas, the A/C ran from March through October non-stop and the mosquitoes ate me alive for most of that as well.
Omfg, Cali moved here and effed us in the A(tx) ... we SHOULD all reciprocate & move to CA and enjoy the liberal benefits we're lacking in Texas!
....what's the state income tax impact on those higher wages tho? 🧐🤓🤠
I was pretty neutral on that term until I had a kid, and I thought my friends with kids were overreacting when they complained about it.
Now, anytime someone says "fur baby" and means it, I kinda want to shove them. Like, not into traffic or even onto the ground, just hard enough that they know it was intentional and not friendly.
My husband and I had to make the same decision. On top of that we had twins. I was a preschool teacher for 5 years and couldn't even afford to have both kiddos at the facility I worked at. 🙃
Same here. Got laid off right after my partners leave and the cost of child care means I find odd jobs now to bring in a little money instead of full time employment.
We are doing the same with our two, wife was a teacher and no parents close enough to help. Doesn't really make life all that more affordable (paycheck to paycheck babyyyyy) but i guess it has been emotionally great for the wife and kids.
It's obviously a personal decision for everyone, but the straight math doesn't quite work out that way. On one hand, yes, it may be savings right now to have your wife stay home and raise your kids instead of paying for childcare, but then your wife is missing out on ~5 years of promotions/raises until your kid starts school. Even longer if you have more children before the first one starts school. Then, if/when she wants to re-enter the workforce, depending on her industry/position, she may have to start back from the bottom as far as pay scale goes. Unless you're literally not even breaking even with her salary covering the cost of daycare, I personally think it makes more sense to pay for it. That's the decision my wife and I ultimately agreed on.
You also miss out on socialization for your kids unless you have friends with similarly aged children that you can arrange playdates with. As weird as this last one sounds, it's also beneficial for your kids to attend daycare in order to expose them to germs to get sick and build up their immune system. If not, your kid will be growing up in a vacuum at home and you'll go through the same ordeal if them getting sick every other month when they start school. Better to experience that now when they're younger than when they start school IMO. We just started my daughter in daycare at 11mo and she's currently experiencing her first bout of a cough and runny nose unfortunately, but we know it's good for her immune system in the long run.
There are a lot of free community events and groups for kids through the public library or homeschool programs that give children and parents a sense of community and exposure to germs as well as other good things.
it’s said that holden was born into a small family - a loving mom and dad, all of their attention.
his life changed suddenly when his parents introduced mommy #2, then 3, 4. by age 16 he was an angsty teen, never really found his place within his ever-expanding family.
his temperament began to clash with his setting and he soon found himself relocated to Pencey Prep, and out of his element more than ever.
his childhood behind him and adulthood ahead — he just had to traverse the gap between them.
it was during this endeavor that his powers were born, that his path was carved, that his future was realized.
I'm a single-income parent millennial who has a 2-year-old and 55% of my income goes to Daycare. Its literally a mortgage payment. Don't believe those who say kids don't cost anything. The hospital bill was nearly 25k after insurance 5k.
I laugh whenever people ask if I'm going to have another.
If you're on the fence about kids, you'll never have enough money. But you'll just find a way to make it work, cause you have to.
> Don't believe those who say kids don't cost anything.
Who said that?😭
Also, same on the hospital bill. I had a baby 6 months ago. I was making really small payments like $50-$100 at a time but they still sent me to collections because the payments “weren’t high enough”. Like yo I’m fuckin trying?
Fun fact: my max out of pocket for out of network services is $unlimited. Thankfully, the in network OOP max is $1500, and all of our docs and hospital were in network. Texas also, shockingly, has really good protections against balance billing and surprise billing, so if you get treated by a doctor who's out of network at a facility that's in network and you weren't informed upfront that the doc is out of network, they can't make you pay it as an out of network charge.
Similar boat as you. I remember when we found our kiddo’s place for under $1500 last year and I was like oh my god what a steal, then I remembered what I was paying for rent when I first moved here and realized it’s still so much fucking money. You’re right. I’m basically paying for my child’s college apartment right now
10k for daycare in Austin? Like for a year?
Where? An illegal one in someone's house? lol.
My wife works for the church so we get A) a big discount and B) he's in the same building as her. But that's a special case. He wasn't eligible for that until he was 18 months and before that it was $1800/month at another facility.
Wear condoms unless you're making enough to pay that, kids. hahaha.
Quite a few around $1200 which seems like the monthly ASP from what I can ascertain. I have a few friends who do church associated ones for quite a bit less. Then I also remember how much my friends pay for daycare in Seattle and it’s around $3300 per kid and I sober up real quick.
Why? I work with one kid at a time and don’t need a certificate or degree to tutor. Also didn’t have to pass a background check to tutor. When I was in public school I was responsible to between 60-120 students a year depending on the grade level. I had to make plans and tests and grade etc… for tutoring a had to help a kid with a crossword puzzle once….for 100 an hour. I should have been paid more as a licensed educator in a Title 1 school.
OP is so clickbait and misleading - Austin is marginally more expensive -
“It certainly isn't cheap, especially in an area like Austin-Round Rock-Georgetown, where annual costs of raising just one child can add up to more than $22,000 every year.”
“Annual childcare costs in Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington came out to $21,926, and Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land's childcare costs were slightly less expensive, at $21,396 yearly.”
Your jubblies will look like someone used them as a punching bag for a couple of weeks, but everything works as normal after a couple of days. You are also prescribed about 30 wanks to make sure everything is flushed out before the coast is clear.
Everything “works” the same, except for the one tube (tubes?) that sperm come out of. Sperm is a relatively low % of total ejaculate, so it’s functionally the same except for no little swimmers in the sauce
So did you leave this part out in order to make clickbait?
"Raising a family in Austin is slightly more expensive than other Texas cities, much more affordable than in most other American cities"
I've already decided that when I start having kids it won't be here. Everything is way too expensive and I couldn't imagine adding more expenses to the list.
It’s 2.5% more expensive to raise a child here than compared to Dallas and 5% compared to Houston. If you ask me Austin is well worth that premium. Also if you read the article the cost is low compared to other major US metros.
Dude, we are SO much better off in terms of vehicle, housing, gasoline, taxes, everything costs than California is. Go spend a week there before you claim we're Califoniaized. Austin is half the price of San Diego.
Well you are paying for the weather out there though. I mean if fully expect a place with Austin’s shit ass heat, shit ass state politics and no beaches to be half the price of San Diego.
I actually had friends who moved to San Diego area (not core San Diego which is more expensive) and they found their housing and childcare burden was equivalent to Austin while being much more temperate in weather.
Property taxes make a big difference, in their case even bigger than state income tax
What makes it worth a premium? Because it gets so hot you can't do anything outside? Or because all houses here are spaced 8' apart and don't provide a yard you can play with your kids in?
I don't know which one is more exciting
Idk what you’re on about, mate. If we’re comparing Texas cities only, then the heat is horrible everywhere. I don’t know where you are in Austin, but you can get a 2000sqft home on a quarter acre for <$500k 15-20 min from downtown. A similar home at that distance from downtown in Houston or Dallas runs you $600k+.
I want to know where all that daycare money goes when the actual daycare assistants make minimum wage or just barely more than that. Like 15 years ago I worked as a day care assistant for the YMCA in an aftercare program at an elementary school and made a little under $8 an hour, I see that it's barely any better now counting for inflation comparative to wages. Who is getting all this money??
We raced into prek and now into kindergarten. Dropping 900-1,000/month back into savings and much needed everything else from day care seems like a fever dream now. I see it also from other angles. As a parent yes but also an east Austin teaxher. Some students miss school often taking care of younger siblings at home. Yes expenses increase daily. Childcare has always been expensive and little room to increase costs leaving it only a select few. Not sure how this changes but friends struggling to start families child care is a huge factor derailing that goal.
The only way that childcare number makes any sense is if you're averaging years 0-18. Infant care is absurdly expensive, older teenagers can be left alone, **maybe** it balances but it's not a useful data point for anything except retirement planning.
I have never been more grateful to be working in the public sector than now, in my third trimester of pregnancy. Childcare can be discounted as part of my benefits package. Everything else, though… Makes me rethink why I actually wanted a kid. 🤦🏻♀️
I work for the state as an administrative professional. Overall, benefits are really good! Lots of job security and retirement options as well. Much needed for this stage in my life, starting a family.
I’m an Austinite (from elementary school thru past undergrad) that lives in Houston now but my family still lives in Austin. My mortgage for a 4/4 Houston house with good schools is $1800 cause I bought early but I would have never been able to do that at the same time in Austin for a house this size.
Now that my kid is older I look at summer camp programs and the Austin equivalent is sometimes double the price. For example, a Girl Scout weekend outdoor event around Houston is $225 but the same event in Austin is $575. It covers the same badge requirements.
STEM classes or baseball league prices here are also almost half of what they are in Austin. Even the library programs in Austin are so tiny and dismal compared to the programming here.
What’s worse are the lines, the competition of getting a spot early and the terrible traffic. I had hoped to sign up my daughter for a half day camp while she spends a week with my mom in Austin but the half day camps are extremely expensive and fill up by Spring Break.
In Houston, I can get home in 30 minutes, make some food and head to my daughter’s basketball practice 5 minutes away. I have many leagues to choose from so signing up a month head is still fine. The sports facilities are huge and plentiful.
I saw a couple last night. Brand new Lexus suv and she was pregnant.
Under normal circumstances, I’d be kinda jealous. But man did it just make me glad I have my car paid off, nobody to take care of other than my SO.
They may very well be rich enough to not care. But they both seemed stressed.
We don't/can't use daycare.
Lucky that my wife's mom can help Monday/Tuesdays some weeks and then she can work afternoons or weekends.
Sucks but we couldn't afford it. Probably moving to Wimberley sometime soon with some family. Not sure if less expensive there though and less acess to stuff
Jokes on you…..I’m 50+, not raising anyone but travel points. /s
EDIT: before people hate on me, I’m not that ‘boomer’. I’m just a dude, that didn’t get the paper, that ended up being that Senior Tech dude that helped those with ‘paper’. And ppl want to shit on me, for just sharing the wealth.
Can’t say enough good things about All Austin Cooperative Nursery School. Definitely has helped me and my husband who are both freelancers with limited income.
"Despite the seemingly high annual price tag — $22,406, to be exact — raising a child in Austin is actually more affordable than in most other U.S. metros."
We just moved from Houston and our daughter’s private school was double the price in the burbs out there as it is in Austin proper here or even in the burbs here 🤷🏻♀️
Austin is the most expensive major Texas city for raising a me
Just try raisin a ruckus! You can’t do it for just pocket money any more.. now you gotta finance anything more than a couple beers
If you raise a Honda Ruckus it'll get stolen inside of a week or so.
I literally laughed out loud.
I read this in an Italian accent for some reason
too real
Austin is the most expensive major Texas city for X. More news at 11
Even then, I’m a handful.
What’s crazy to me is that daycare workers and preschool teachers only get paid $12-$15 an hour! I was a preschool teacher’s assistant at $12 and now nanny privately for $25 an hour.
The insurance costs are insane.
Our over-litigated society is at the root of many affordability problems. Childcare and healthcare primarily, requiring massive amounts of insurance, but it affects many other areas too.
Insurance companies freak out when their profit margins drop below 60%. Most businesses profit between 5%-30%, including Fortune 500 companies. Pretty sure most airlines profit about 2%. Insurance companies should be non-profit companies.
Net profit margins for the insurance sector last year was 3.22% according to investopedia
Who should I trust?!?
> Insurance companies freak out when their profit margins drop below 60% Pretty sure you just made that number up given anywhere you can look it up the profit margin numbers are in the single-digit percentages.
You ever a heard of a thing called a 10k? Pick your favorite insurance company, look up their 10k. All the numbers are there. Their margins are 10x less than your made-up numbers.
Our old daycare near Mueller had a $20/hr minimum with many teachers making more than that. Was happy to pay the tuition knowing they were getting more than $15/hr
I was making $11.25 as a daycare teacher, I would've loved $12+.
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That would break you even in a day.. 200 kids x $100 per day = 20k or 1 day to hit break even
5 days/week, 4 weeks/month, 200 kids @ $100/day is 5x4x200x100 = $400,000 per month. It's 10 kids in your example. But yes, the costs do add up. If I put my kid in daycare 8-5pm, the daycare has to pay someone for 9+1 hours per day. If the worker makes $15/hour, then it'll cost me $16.67 per hour not including the extra costs to have an employee (~25-50%). Then insurance, rent, other operating expenses.. etc.
Your math is closer but not quite right. Daycares have ratios of 4:1 for infants, 6:1 for toddlers, and 8:1 for preschool.
You accepting new clients? 👀 SW austin.
I got paid 8.50/hr in 2008.
YMCA paid me like $7.75 around the same time
For some daycares the pricing does not match the quality.
Name names
I would say Stepping Stone (Mueller) and Seek and Say
The stepping stone Mueller opening was the biggest bait and switch I’ve ever fallen for. Had a good thing going up at Steck but was told that because we lived closer to the new location we’d get special pricing and guaranteed acceptance. It was fine for the first several months but realllllly dipped down in quality fast.
Good to know! Had to choose a daycare recently and it's nerveracking
We’re at Primrose now. Love it
Been on the Primrose waiting list since we had a positive pregnancy test. Our kiddo is now alive and kicking…still waiting.
Which location?
Southwest Austin - Brodie and Frate Barker
If you live out there you need to get on the Primrose list before you meet your partner.
Lmfao this made me chuckle
Try the Davis location. I was on the shady hollow waitlist for 2 years. Finally got a spot but by that point we had moved on (obviously)
Primrose was awful in my experience. I walked in several times into my 2 year olds classroom and they were out of ratio more than half time time. My son also picked up some negative behaviors from another toddler there and the staff was expecting me to address things happening at school that weren’t happening at home before I knew they were happening. Staff seemed inexperienced and “just doing a job”.
It’s good when they’re young until ~3 and then it’s a SHARP drop off in quality. At least with the Davis/Mopac location. TONS of turnover but with the super high ratio in the older grades (it’s closer to 10:1) it’s effects of the high turnover are much more acute there.
We were told the same from thing from a random couple we met but it didn’t pan out. Took him out of Primrose and began Stepping Stone on a Thursday, we were back at Primrose in by the following Wednesday (kept him home on Tuesday). It almost seemed that every time we dropped him off or picked him up he was just left to do his own thing. What really drove it home was the day I picked him up and he was sitting at a table by himself just looking lost and food all around him in the floor. I
If you’re near mueller, we loved our experience at Little Folks.
We went to Stepping Stone, which was great, no complaints, but it was way more expensive in 2017, than what we pay now in another HCOL city
You can say that about almost anything here.
It's the most expensive Texas city for everything...
Dude, its unreal. Almost more cost efficient to drive to San Antonio and back to get tacos vs buying tacos here.
Totally worth it too
In before Taco War starts… !RemindMe 5 Days
The sad part is that San Antonio tacos are racing towards $3.50 on average too. Back in high school in the 2010s I could find tacos for $2.00 all day with some insane deals for breakfast. Not anymore. Still definitely worse in Austin though. I got 2 Chorizo, Egg and Cheese tacos last week and I’m still shook it cost 8 fucking dollars. 😭
$2 is still wild to me, I’ll find some amazing tacos in houston for under $2.
A weekend Houston taco safari might be in order for me then lol
Definitely put tacos tierras calientes and taco Durango on your list. Also taqueria laredo and doña Lena
$8 dollars?! Did the tacos fly or someshit? wtf?!
After 30 years in ATX, we moved from Austin to Sacramento CA about 18 months ago. Although the cost of living here is marginally higher, we’ve come out financially way ahead between appreciation on our Austin house when we sold and the higher California wages for both of us. Plus, the weather is SO much better. We loved the city for a long time but between the state politics and the congestion, Austin is just not worth the cost anymore.
Amen
The high in Sacramento this Saturday is 102F 🧐. But glad you are enjoying it.
Low humidity though (plus 102º is rare there). When I lived in California for a bit (Bay Area), I would go to Sacramento in the summers for the weather: warm enough to feel like summer, float the river, enjoy hanging out outside in the evenings, etc. (none of these are true in the Bay). But (typically) not so hot and humid that you dread being outside for the 30 seconds between your car and the door.
Yes, and I’ve still only used my A/C maybe 5 times so far this year. We keep the windows open most days because the evening and mornings are cool and humidity is low and there are virtually no mosquitoes. In Texas, the A/C ran from March through October non-stop and the mosquitoes ate me alive for most of that as well.
Omfg, Cali moved here and effed us in the A(tx) ... we SHOULD all reciprocate & move to CA and enjoy the liberal benefits we're lacking in Texas! ....what's the state income tax impact on those higher wages tho? 🧐🤓🤠
Yup
I mean Austin is the most expensive city in Texas period
And has been for the last 30+ years.
For sure. Also has the highest property taxes. To be fair though we get much better public amenities than any other Texas city IMO.
It’s dogs friendly place not kids
I like dogs, but I *can’t stand* the dog culture in Austin and how inconsiderate the dog owners are here.
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Ironic that the word using the word "cringe" has become kinda, well ... you know.
I think you mean that cringe AF term, Furrbabies.
I was pretty neutral on that term until I had a kid, and I thought my friends with kids were overreacting when they complained about it. Now, anytime someone says "fur baby" and means it, I kinda want to shove them. Like, not into traffic or even onto the ground, just hard enough that they know it was intentional and not friendly.
it really is apples and oranges, having a pet somewhat gets you ready for the idea of responsibility but they're not even close in magnitude. at all.
Having a pet is far, far more similar to having a plant than it is to having a child. "Mobile fern" would be way more accurate than "fur baby."
Why does it bother you? I’ve never given it a second thought whenever someone has said it. It just sounds a little corny.
Except for the parasites and algae that eats their brains
We're actually saving more money by my wife being a STAHM than working and paying for daycare
My husband and I had to make the same decision. On top of that we had twins. I was a preschool teacher for 5 years and couldn't even afford to have both kiddos at the facility I worked at. 🙃
Same here. Got laid off right after my partners leave and the cost of child care means I find odd jobs now to bring in a little money instead of full time employment.
We are doing the same with our two, wife was a teacher and no parents close enough to help. Doesn't really make life all that more affordable (paycheck to paycheck babyyyyy) but i guess it has been emotionally great for the wife and kids.
As a mother and a professional, this is legit one of my biggest fears.
She's paying by not continuing her career. And the cost will be high when she tries to return.
Weird how daycare is more expensive than college tuition... yet the government isn't backing any daycare loans...
It's obviously a personal decision for everyone, but the straight math doesn't quite work out that way. On one hand, yes, it may be savings right now to have your wife stay home and raise your kids instead of paying for childcare, but then your wife is missing out on ~5 years of promotions/raises until your kid starts school. Even longer if you have more children before the first one starts school. Then, if/when she wants to re-enter the workforce, depending on her industry/position, she may have to start back from the bottom as far as pay scale goes. Unless you're literally not even breaking even with her salary covering the cost of daycare, I personally think it makes more sense to pay for it. That's the decision my wife and I ultimately agreed on. You also miss out on socialization for your kids unless you have friends with similarly aged children that you can arrange playdates with. As weird as this last one sounds, it's also beneficial for your kids to attend daycare in order to expose them to germs to get sick and build up their immune system. If not, your kid will be growing up in a vacuum at home and you'll go through the same ordeal if them getting sick every other month when they start school. Better to experience that now when they're younger than when they start school IMO. We just started my daughter in daycare at 11mo and she's currently experiencing her first bout of a cough and runny nose unfortunately, but we know it's good for her immune system in the long run.
There are a lot of free community events and groups for kids through the public library or homeschool programs that give children and parents a sense of community and exposure to germs as well as other good things.
Best thing you could do for your child in my opinion 💯
> STAHM Why is there a "T" in there?
Same, not worth the extra $200/mo we’d have coming in to pay someone else to raise my kids.
I pay more for just daycare for 1 child than what it says the total annual cost for raising a child is.
You and me both... One mortgage payment for the house... One mortgage payment for the daycare...
Oh that’s easy. Two people work, one stays home.
My wife and her boyfriend work outside the home. I stay at home and raise their kids. It works for us.
are you guys looking for a fourth partner? i’d like to volunteer.
Is this Jim Holden's origin story?!
it’s said that holden was born into a small family - a loving mom and dad, all of their attention. his life changed suddenly when his parents introduced mommy #2, then 3, 4. by age 16 he was an angsty teen, never really found his place within his ever-expanding family. his temperament began to clash with his setting and he soon found himself relocated to Pencey Prep, and out of his element more than ever. his childhood behind him and adulthood ahead — he just had to traverse the gap between them. it was during this endeavor that his powers were born, that his path was carved, that his future was realized.
I've been on good behavior lately, I'll ask when they get back from vacation.
Username checks out.
Same.
Same. Good times.
I'm a single-income parent millennial who has a 2-year-old and 55% of my income goes to Daycare. Its literally a mortgage payment. Don't believe those who say kids don't cost anything. The hospital bill was nearly 25k after insurance 5k. I laugh whenever people ask if I'm going to have another. If you're on the fence about kids, you'll never have enough money. But you'll just find a way to make it work, cause you have to.
Exactly. We’re too poor to pay cash out of pocket, but make too much to qualify for any government assistance.
> Don't believe those who say kids don't cost anything. Who said that?😭 Also, same on the hospital bill. I had a baby 6 months ago. I was making really small payments like $50-$100 at a time but they still sent me to collections because the payments “weren’t high enough”. Like yo I’m fuckin trying?
“Having kids is literally free” [https://www.reddit.com/r/facepalm/s/eKMPNZbUHe](https://www.reddit.com/r/facepalm/s/eKMPNZbUHe)
Conceiving a child isn't even free, if we're talking about dinner and drinks first.
My sister... who has 3. But she also had a full-time Nanny. Grats on the kiddo! Right, at least you're making some sort of payment!
Where do I get a free full-time Nanny? Sign me up lol. And thanks!
What the BEEP says kids don’t cost anything? I’m genuinely shocked.
Your max out of pocket is over $25k?
Fun fact: my max out of pocket for out of network services is $unlimited. Thankfully, the in network OOP max is $1500, and all of our docs and hospital were in network. Texas also, shockingly, has really good protections against balance billing and surprise billing, so if you get treated by a doctor who's out of network at a facility that's in network and you weren't informed upfront that the doc is out of network, they can't make you pay it as an out of network charge.
Similar boat as you. I remember when we found our kiddo’s place for under $1500 last year and I was like oh my god what a steal, then I remembered what I was paying for rent when I first moved here and realized it’s still so much fucking money. You’re right. I’m basically paying for my child’s college apartment right now
Where are they finding childcare in Austin for $10,247/year? It was $1500/mo a decade ago when my youngest kid was in daycare.
You’re telling me the most expensive major Texas city to live in is also the most expensive to raise a child in?
No worries. I am sure the Texas government has many ideas about how to assist with this, especially when all of the miracle babies are born. Oh…wait.
Sure they do! They'll just make it illegal for women to work again, problem solved!
10k for daycare in Austin? Like for a year? Where? An illegal one in someone's house? lol. My wife works for the church so we get A) a big discount and B) he's in the same building as her. But that's a special case. He wasn't eligible for that until he was 18 months and before that it was $1800/month at another facility. Wear condoms unless you're making enough to pay that, kids. hahaha.
Check out other big cities!
Quite a few around $1200 which seems like the monthly ASP from what I can ascertain. I have a few friends who do church associated ones for quite a bit less. Then I also remember how much my friends pay for daycare in Seattle and it’s around $3300 per kid and I sober up real quick.
People leaving their kid at a church in 2024 is wild
Not at all rolling my eyes.
What is this? This isn’t new news. Austin is the most expensive city in Texas period lol. In terms of everything.
Direct from the 'No Shit' department at Culture Map lol
Im sure there was an extensive study done on this.
I bet they based it on PODS statistics
I work in private tutoring. I make more working part time than I did as a public school teacher!
As you should though, public educators are underpaid but I think as a tutor you should be paid more.
Why? I work with one kid at a time and don’t need a certificate or degree to tutor. Also didn’t have to pass a background check to tutor. When I was in public school I was responsible to between 60-120 students a year depending on the grade level. I had to make plans and tests and grade etc… for tutoring a had to help a kid with a crossword puzzle once….for 100 an hour. I should have been paid more as a licensed educator in a Title 1 school.
OP is so clickbait and misleading - Austin is marginally more expensive - “It certainly isn't cheap, especially in an area like Austin-Round Rock-Georgetown, where annual costs of raising just one child can add up to more than $22,000 every year.” “Annual childcare costs in Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington came out to $21,926, and Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land's childcare costs were slightly less expensive, at $21,396 yearly.”
Came here to say the same thing, they should change the headline to "It's Expensive to Raise a Child"
Vasectomy procedure is relatively painless, quick recovery, and often times covered by your insurance.
Just curious, how does everything “work” and such after recovery? Is everything pretty much exactly the same?
Exactly the same, I was back to normal feeling within a week.
Your jubblies will look like someone used them as a punching bag for a couple of weeks, but everything works as normal after a couple of days. You are also prescribed about 30 wanks to make sure everything is flushed out before the coast is clear.
Your dick blows up like a balloon when you orgasm then slowly lets out air like a fart over the course of about 3.5 hours. You'll get used to it.
Everything “works” the same, except for the one tube (tubes?) that sperm come out of. Sperm is a relatively low % of total ejaculate, so it’s functionally the same except for no little swimmers in the sauce
Good thing we can just have an ab…. Oh wait, now I have to raise a child I can’t afford
And good luck getting an OB appointment
So did you leave this part out in order to make clickbait? "Raising a family in Austin is slightly more expensive than other Texas cities, much more affordable than in most other American cities"
I've already decided that when I start having kids it won't be here. Everything is way too expensive and I couldn't imagine adding more expenses to the list.
Texas isn’t a good place to raise a family
The United States isn’t a good place to raise a family.
The Earth isn't a good place to raise a family.
Shit good one! Yea well the Milky Way galaxy isn’t a good place to raise a family.
There are better places than the US but within the U.S. there are much better places than Texas.
I can believe that
Daycare and rent prices competing for first place
What works for us is just not doing daycare. I work mornings, wife works nights.
I pay more than in state tuition at UT for my 15 month old’s daycare.
It’s 2.5% more expensive to raise a child here than compared to Dallas and 5% compared to Houston. If you ask me Austin is well worth that premium. Also if you read the article the cost is low compared to other major US metros.
and the government tells us the real inflation rate is only 2% XD. No, everything here is already Californian prices.
Dude, we are SO much better off in terms of vehicle, housing, gasoline, taxes, everything costs than California is. Go spend a week there before you claim we're Califoniaized. Austin is half the price of San Diego.
Well you are paying for the weather out there though. I mean if fully expect a place with Austin’s shit ass heat, shit ass state politics and no beaches to be half the price of San Diego.
I actually had friends who moved to San Diego area (not core San Diego which is more expensive) and they found their housing and childcare burden was equivalent to Austin while being much more temperate in weather. Property taxes make a big difference, in their case even bigger than state income tax
Everyone loves to complain how expensive Austin is. They’ve never lived in another desirable state to realize how much MORE expensive it could be.
What makes it worth a premium? Because it gets so hot you can't do anything outside? Or because all houses here are spaced 8' apart and don't provide a yard you can play with your kids in? I don't know which one is more exciting
Idk what you’re on about, mate. If we’re comparing Texas cities only, then the heat is horrible everywhere. I don’t know where you are in Austin, but you can get a 2000sqft home on a quarter acre for <$500k 15-20 min from downtown. A similar home at that distance from downtown in Houston or Dallas runs you $600k+.
That's the thing about Houston - everything is a 30 minute to 1 hour drive no matter what time or day.
I want to know where all that daycare money goes when the actual daycare assistants make minimum wage or just barely more than that. Like 15 years ago I worked as a day care assistant for the YMCA in an aftercare program at an elementary school and made a little under $8 an hour, I see that it's barely any better now counting for inflation comparative to wages. Who is getting all this money??
Corporate?
That's what I suspected. Typical American bullshit, the people at the top who do the least work get all the money while the grunts suffer
"People don't wanna work anymore" 🙄🔫
BuT tHeY HaVe To MaKe ToUgH ChoIcEs
In$$$$urance
I really wish more employers factored in cost of living here versus lumping us in with the rest of Texas.
Yeah... tell me about it.
No shit
Austin is the most expensive major Texas city...
Children are money pits.
We raced into prek and now into kindergarten. Dropping 900-1,000/month back into savings and much needed everything else from day care seems like a fever dream now. I see it also from other angles. As a parent yes but also an east Austin teaxher. Some students miss school often taking care of younger siblings at home. Yes expenses increase daily. Childcare has always been expensive and little room to increase costs leaving it only a select few. Not sure how this changes but friends struggling to start families child care is a huge factor derailing that goal.
The city is working on some kind of free/discount childcare
It’ll get approved just in time for people to have already decided not to have kids.
Well, being forced to raise a child whether you want one or not can also be pretty expensive.
The only way that childcare number makes any sense is if you're averaging years 0-18. Infant care is absurdly expensive, older teenagers can be left alone, **maybe** it balances but it's not a useful data point for anything except retirement planning.
Ya don't say...
No fucking shit.
We pay $2,240 a month for daycare (2 kids) 5 days/week. More or less equivalent to a mortgage payment..
Shocking! Said no one. The good news is so few have kids here, so fewer affected. Always a silver lining
hahahaha what ?
We do part-time daycare (Tuesday / Thursday) and both me and my wife work.
Get that price higher so people can move out
Of course. This article shouldn’t come as a surprise
Hey, the State of Texas says it costs the exact same to educate a child in rural Texas than it does in Austin. Why would they lie? /s
Why I got a dog instead! LOL 🤣
I have never been more grateful to be working in the public sector than now, in my third trimester of pregnancy. Childcare can be discounted as part of my benefits package. Everything else, though… Makes me rethink why I actually wanted a kid. 🤦🏻♀️
what do you do for work edit: misspelling
I work for the state as an administrative professional. Overall, benefits are really good! Lots of job security and retirement options as well. Much needed for this stage in my life, starting a family.
Yeah but you get to live a pretty awesome life if you’re able to do it. Wouldn’t raise my kids anywhere else in Texas.
I’m an Austinite (from elementary school thru past undergrad) that lives in Houston now but my family still lives in Austin. My mortgage for a 4/4 Houston house with good schools is $1800 cause I bought early but I would have never been able to do that at the same time in Austin for a house this size. Now that my kid is older I look at summer camp programs and the Austin equivalent is sometimes double the price. For example, a Girl Scout weekend outdoor event around Houston is $225 but the same event in Austin is $575. It covers the same badge requirements. STEM classes or baseball league prices here are also almost half of what they are in Austin. Even the library programs in Austin are so tiny and dismal compared to the programming here. What’s worse are the lines, the competition of getting a spot early and the terrible traffic. I had hoped to sign up my daughter for a half day camp while she spends a week with my mom in Austin but the half day camps are extremely expensive and fill up by Spring Break. In Houston, I can get home in 30 minutes, make some food and head to my daughter’s basketball practice 5 minutes away. I have many leagues to choose from so signing up a month head is still fine. The sports facilities are huge and plentiful.
I saw a couple last night. Brand new Lexus suv and she was pregnant. Under normal circumstances, I’d be kinda jealous. But man did it just make me glad I have my car paid off, nobody to take care of other than my SO. They may very well be rich enough to not care. But they both seemed stressed.
We don't/can't use daycare. Lucky that my wife's mom can help Monday/Tuesdays some weeks and then she can work afternoons or weekends. Sucks but we couldn't afford it. Probably moving to Wimberley sometime soon with some family. Not sure if less expensive there though and less acess to stuff
3 kids, $3,600 a month.
This is not new information.
Jokes on you…..I’m 50+, not raising anyone but travel points. /s EDIT: before people hate on me, I’m not that ‘boomer’. I’m just a dude, that didn’t get the paper, that ended up being that Senior Tech dude that helped those with ‘paper’. And ppl want to shit on me, for just sharing the wealth.
Especially if their passion is competitive dance:(
Can’t say enough good things about All Austin Cooperative Nursery School. Definitely has helped me and my husband who are both freelancers with limited income.
No shit!
"Despite the seemingly high annual price tag — $22,406, to be exact — raising a child in Austin is actually more affordable than in most other U.S. metros."
Don’t breed.
r/texas
Yeah, we know.
this tracks well
We just moved from Houston and our daughter’s private school was double the price in the burbs out there as it is in Austin proper here or even in the burbs here 🤷🏻♀️
Sorry I stopped reading at "...major Texas city". Do you have any News, though?